Abstract

The reuse of public sector information is an increasingly key element in the Open data and Open government strategies. The European authorities are promoting public information reuse policies as a pillar for the digital economy and for democratic transparency. In the same way, several public and private reuse initiatives in Spain have sprung up in recent years to maximize public information reuse benefits. In this sense, the Aporta Project, supported by the Spanish Ministry for Territorial Cooperation and Public Administration and the Ministry for Industry, Trade and Commerce, have been working since 2009 in promoting reuse in Spain. Regarding the challenges of the actual reuse policies it is important to point out that a Royal decree that develops the Spanish Reuse Law is being drafted with the aim to solve some indeterminate aspects of the present public information reuse law.

Abstract

This study looks at how and if the Spanish central government is currently meeting the laws of transparency and good governance by providing access to public data. The first part is a description of the most relevant legal standards relating to this topic. Subjects, information on recruitment, formats available to reuse information, and platforms on which these public data are published are identified. This study was performed using March 2016 data from the Public Platform for Hiring which is provided by the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration of Spain. The most important finding may be that the law has been correctly applied by the Spanish government for the reuse of information. On the other hand, accessing information is difficult and nearly half of the subjects do not offer hiring data despite this requirement.

Abstract

In this article we analyze the organization of information in Spain’s Portal of the Transparency, which includes information that is required by law. We analyze both the organization of information and people who appear in the Portal. The analysis is then compared with the Law of transparency, access to public information, and good governance. The results show a high percentage of subjects that are not reporting the information as required by law. Contrarily, some sections, like economics, include an excess of information that makes their access complex.

Abstract

The rapid adoption of social media by public administrations deserves attention from the side of institutional information and communication. One of the points recently identified is the tone used by public sector organizations to deliver their messages, as it may encourage citizen collaboration and participation. This paper explores the tone that Spanish city councils with more than 50,000 inhabitants are using in their social media profiles. This paper is based in two research questions: (a) What is the general tone used by the city councils in their use of social media?; (b) What explanatory factors are behind the adoption of one tone or another? Studying Twitter through big data techniques and statistical analysis, this study finds a positive general communicative tone. Traditional organizational, institutional and environmental factors do not seem to have a statistical significant influence over the tone. This article concludes with proposals for improvement on future research derived from the research results.

Abstract

Public information, including the right to know and the right to transparency, is one of the main topics in academic research and professional development. It is usually analyzed on three epistemological levels: constitutional, governance, and media citizenship. It is thought-provoking to the extent that we find a strong tension between transparency and confidentiality, when rebuilding trust in the public sphere. Using this information we can predict new areas of work, such as the quality data processes, literacy, integrity, and traceability of such data and the emergence of new professions in public communications.

Abstract

La comunicación es clave para que las instituciones recuperen la confianza y credibilidad de los ciudadanos. En este sentido, la gestión de la transparencia y la promoción de la participación ciudadana online son dos aspectos esenciales. Tras la entrada en vigor a nivel local en diciembre de 2015 de la Ley 19/2013 de transparencia, acceso a la información pública y buen gobierno, los ayuntamientos de España están obligados a publicar de forma clara y comprensible toda la información pública en sus sitios web. Este requisito convierte a las administraciones locales españolas en un interesante caso de estudio para evaluar los esfuerzos de mejora en la relación con sus ciudadanos. De ahí que el objetivo de este estudio sea medir el nivel de transparencia en las herramientas de información pública y participación. Para ello se compara una muestra representativa de los sitios web de ayuntamientos con más de 10.000 habitantes (N =394) utilizando un conjunto de indicadores específicos para el análisis de contenido. Los resultados indican un nivel de transparencia muy bajo así como importantes carencias y deficiencias relacionadas con los recursos de participación online. AbstractCommunication is indispensable for institutions in regaining trust and credibility among citizens. In this context, transparency management and the promotion of citizen participation online are essential. After December 2015, when the Spanish transparency law 19/2013 was fully in force at the local level, all local municipalities were required to show all the public information on their websites published in a clear and understandable way. This requirement turns the Spanish local administrations into an interesting case study to assess efforts to improve their relationships with their citizens; hence this research aims to measure the Spanish transparency level on public information and participation. For that purpose, a set of indicators were used to analyze the content of those websites that corresponded to a representative sample of municipalities with 10,000 or more inhabitants (N=394). Findings pointed to a very low transparency level and major deficiencies related to online engagement with resources that are required by law.

Abstract

The situation of access to public sector information and its reuse in Spanish regions is analyzed. For this purpose, it was used Meloda, a metric to assess open data reuse published on open data portals. Furthermore, the correlation between the number of datasets available on open data portals, the International Transparency Index of Spanish regions, and the Meloda average for each Spanish region are studied. 2,165 datasets have been examined. 95.15% of data published by Spanish regions on open data portals is optimum for reuse, or suitable for reuse but with some improvement needed. The public bodies which are leading this process are those of Aragón, Cataluña, Comunidad Foral de Navarra and País Vasco.

Abstract

Since the entry into force of the Law on transparency and good governance, city councils have had an obligation to fulfill the criteria and principles included therein. In this context of demanding better political communication from the authorities, a study of the communication on the websites of Extremadura’s city councils, representing more than 7,000 inhabitants, was carried out in the years 2015 and 2016. An analysis model, with 52 indicators grouped into five groups, was applied. This research presents and discusses the most interesting results and conclusions related to the online political communication of these city councils.

Abstract

This research focuses on the transparency of the public websites of the main cities of the region of Castilla y Leon (Spain). Taking as a sample the 24 towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants, this article presents the results related to management and information about the collective resources and the issues concerning the online press room. Using a fully proven methodology developed by a larger project titled Infoparticipa Map, a particularly relevant group of results are achieved. On the one hand, information about the composition of the governing bodies is widely available, with differences between the most and least populated towns. But on the other hand, the performance of municipal power in the region is focused on the publication of general news and concessions

Abstract

La comunicación municipal trasciende la simple información sobre servicios públicos, actividades, proyectos o trámites administrativos. Las estrategias comunicativas y de información en el contexto local se orientan hacia los ciudadanos para poner en valor un proyecto municipal compartido en el que éstos se implican como prosumidores en el diseño y desarrollo de estrategias sectoriales vinculadas a las políticas públicas. En consecuencia, los ayuntamientos deben integrar en su estructura una dirección de comunicación que asuma la función de información pública desde la gobernanza, la transparencia y la participación ciudadana proactiva. Desde la primera legislatura democrática en 1979 la evolución y adaptación de sus procesos y rutinas productivas se justifica por la necesidad de configurar una percepción positiva de la acción del gobierno y consolidar su reputación institucional. En este trabajo se realiza una aproximación a la dirección de comunicación municipal basada en los modelos rígidos y estandarizados de los años 80 y 90, para incidir en la revolución actual que representa el paradigma de la comunicación 2.0, la implementación de la web social en el contexto de proximidad y la estrategia de medios sociales.Abstract Municipal communication transcends the simple information about public services, activities, projects, and administrative procedures. Communicative and information strategies in the local context are oriented towards citizens who participate in a shared municipal project in which they are prosumers in the design and development of sectorial strategies linked to public policies. Consequently, city councils must integrate a communication structure that takes advantage of public information from governance, transparency, and proactive citizen participation. Since the first Spanish democratic legislature in 1979 the evolution and adaptation of process and production routines has been justified by the need to shape a positive perception of government action and consolidate their institutional reputation. In this paper an approach to municipal communication, based on the rigid and standardized models of the 80s and 90s, is presented to influence the current revolution that represents the paradigm of communication 2.0, the implementation of the social web in the context of proximity and social media strategy.